Brown OKs changes to Calif. Political Reform Act

By JULIET WILLIAMSAssociated Press

October 8, 2013 09:06 PM

By JULIET WILLIAMSAssociated Press

October 8, 2013 09:06 PM

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed three public-disclosure bills related to the nearly 40-year-old California Political Reform Act, and vetoed one bill that aimed to update the state's outdated campaign finance reporting website.

The legislation will also make it easier for members of the public to access the documents, also known as Form 700s, where candidates list their assets and economic ties. The FPPC covers state and local candidates, but not those for federal offices.

"The current system of disclosure for public officials is scattershot and doesn't provide the public the information it deserves on the economic interests of public officials," FPPC Chairwoman Ann Ravel said in a written statement.

Brown's office said he also signed two other FPPC-sponsored bills by Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Cupertino, AB552 and AB1090. Those bills allow the agency to obtain court judgments for unpaid penalties and expand the advice offered to officials about possible conflicts of interest.

But the Democratic governor vetoed the only campaign finance reform approved by the Legislature this year, SB3 by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco.

It would have required the secretary of state to consider technology fixes to the state's campaign finance website, known as Cal-Access, as well as required campaign treasurers to complete an FPPC training course.

Brown acknowledged the Cal-Access shortcomings in his veto message, saying it needs upgrading and is "widely viewed as outdated and cumbersome." He said he was directing the state Government Operations Agency to come up with recommendations on the best way to improve campaign disclosure.

California Common Cause, which had backed SB3 and several other pieces of legislation that lawmakers did not ultimately approve, said it was disappointed with the governor's veto, but said its passage was still "a victory for campaign disclosure."

"The governor's admission that Cal-Access is `outdated and cumbersome' and the executive actions he has taken are a step forward to improving transparency in our elections," said Philip Ung, a spokesman for Common Cause, in a written statement.

The complicated Cal-Access site used by candidates and campaigns to file campaign finance reports has been a source of frustration for years, but Secretary of State Debra Bowen has said her office does not have the technology or financial resources to properly update it.

This summer, MapLight, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics, launched its own online search tool to make it easier to find campaign contributions and spending, after working with the secretary of state to get access to the data.